#mechanicmonday features Kevin Marriner Jr.

Kevin Marriner Jr. of Cape May, New Jersey.

For our last Mechanic Monday of January, we are excited to feature Kevin Marriner Jr. of Cape May, New Jersey!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with PBMA’s Mechanic Monday series, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, who is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations that we receive. Mechanic Monday is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and we are proud to partner with Abbey Bike Tools, Cycling Industry News, and People for Bikes to share these great features with you.

Kevin Marriner is a mechanic at Cape Island Bikes in Cape May, New Jersey, and he’s also a USAC-licensed race mechanic. He told us that being a professional mechanic is something he “just fell into” after working full-time as a photographer, but we think there was more than just a happy coincidence that led him to our industry. Here is Kevin’s story, in his own words:

“I've been involved in cycling ever since I was a kid on a BMX bike, in those days I was always on a bike; I was also very curious about how things worked so I attempted to fix any issue with my bike before I took it into the shop (after I inevitably ran into an issue).​There was a period when I stopped riding during middle school and high school, but I was involved in a motorcycle accident 2 years after high school and I started riding again to try and keep my weight in check after the accident. I rode road bikes off and on for the next four years and then in 2012 I rode across the country (with Bike and Build), and during that trip I fixed many of the issues that arose with my friends’ bikes and kept everyone moving.

When I got back from that trip I went back to working full time as a photographer and training over the winter. The next spring, I started racing road and the newspaper I was a freelance photographer for was going through some changes, so I was looking for some work to offset the reduction in assignments. My friend was the mechanic at a bike shop inside of a surf shop and needed some help over the summer, so he asked me to come on with him. I enjoyed the job, but a month and a half after I started there, he moved to another state. I was left to fend for myself. The owner of the surf shop and I did not get along very well, and I was offered a job at another shop (the one I used to take my BMX bike to as a kid, no less) which I took.

That is where I fell in love with being a bike mechanic. The owner of that shop taught me everything he knew. We spent the next four years working together, learning from each other, and bouncing ideas off each other.

My favorite moment in cycling ever has to be the day my 30 friends and I reached the Pacific Ocean after having ridden almost 4,000 miles together. I don't think I will ever achieve something that meaningful ever again. My favorite memory from being a bike mechanic was the time I spent at the Olympic Training Center during the Race Mechanic Clinic.

To the aspiring mechanic, I would say to take every opportunity to further yourself or enhance your knowledge. Go to every continuing education clinic you can, work the pit at a race, volunteer with a NCAA team, [and] learn something new every single day. You never know when the most innocuous piece of knowledge will come in handy.”

Kevin’s advice to aspiring mechanics is something that even the most veteran among us should take to heart; as our industry grows and changes, it is more important than ever for each of us to try to learn something new every single day. Our profession, our industry, and our selves will only be better for it.

That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll be back next week with a new feature. In the meantime, click here to learn more about our 2018 Mechanic Monday series, and here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic!

#mechanicmonday honors Deb Xu

It’s time for another installment of Mechanic Monday, and this week we are proud to feature Deb Xu of Los Angeles, California!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with PBMA’s Mechanic Monday series, this is where we feature one mechanic each week who is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations that we receive. Mechanic Monday is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and we are proud to partner with Abbey Bike Tools, Cycling Industry News, and People for Bikes to share these great features with you.

Deb “The Wrenchess” Xu is the owner and mechanic-in-chief at Tender Loving Cycles in Los Angeles. Our PBMA team has interviewed her before, but never in a "mechanic of the week" context; so when her friends, family, and loyal customers sent us a pile of nominations for Mechanic Monday, we just couldn’t resist chatting with Deb again about bikes, business ownership, and everything in-between. Here is some of what she had to say, in her own words:

PBMA: How did you become involved in cycling and/or cycling mechanics?

DX: At first, it was just building and upgrading bikes for my friends and family at a bicycle co-op. Slowly, people started to offer me money for the bikes I built. Then one day, I headed into a local bike shop for a very rare part, and was offered a position. [After that,] I started working at the service center of this super Elite Specialized dealership. I was working there with 5 other guys. At first, I was only allowed to build cheap new bikes, and then do tune-ups for non-carbon bikes. That lasted for a really long time until one day I just grabbed an expensive bike and started working on it. There was some opposition, but I just firmly told them I was ready.​I feel like my career took a turn there because it was from then on that I finally gained the respect as a mechanic from my fellow mechanics and customers. I slowly gained a group of loyal customers and my love of mechanics and bike fitting grows daily even now.

PBMA: Do you have a favorite moment or story from your time in the cycling industry?

DX: I have one that is pretty awesome. It was when Shimano barely came out with 11 speed shifters. I was working with 15+ other male mechanics for an event, some of them work for big cycling companies, some work for high end shops, and some I don't know how they got there. There was this owner of this really big chained bike stores in California. At the event, he pulled out a pair of 11 speed Shimano road shifter for a rider with 10 speed components and told his subordinates to install it.

I said flat out that it wouldn't work. Everyone laughed at me and some mechanic of 20+ years started working on it. A couple of hours later, the shifting still couldn't be dialed in. I called Brian St. Amant, who was still working at Shimano then, and got the confirmation that it wouldn't work. And obviously, they then believed it. I got a few job offers at the end of the day.

PBMA: What advice would you give to girls or women who aspire to be professional bicycle mechanics?

DX: Laugh at the fools that look down upon you or try to bully or harass you. Learn from those who are willing to teach and make them your mentors and friends. Be patient, be humble, be meticulous, and don't give up!

That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll be back next week with a new feature. In the meantime, click here to learn more about our 2018 Mechanic Monday series, and here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic!

#mechanicmonday honors Scott Armstrong

​It’s Mechanic Monday again, and this week we are excited to introduce you to Scott Armstrong of San Diego, California!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with PBMA’s Mechanic Monday series, this is where we feature one mechanic each week who is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations that we receive. Mechanic Monday is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and we are proud to partner with Abbey Bike Tools, Cycling Industry News, and People for Bikes to share these great features with you.

Scott is an owner and mechanic at MJ’s Cyclery in beautiful San Diego. Before opening the shop, Scott was an officer with the San Diego Police Department for 13 years, through which he met and befriended countless fellow cyclists and began mentoring the Southern California High School Cycling League. MJ’s Cyclery opened just four years ago, but Scott and his crew have already made a name for themselves in the cycling-rich SoCal community. We talked with Scott about his lifelong love of cycling and his ambition to turn that love into a second career in the industry. Here’s some of what he had to tell us:

PBMA: Can you tell us a little bit about how your shop started?

SA: Back in 1985 or so I discovered cycling as I had several friends get into it in Junior High. I started road riding but then mountain biking was becoming a thing. I got a job cleaning up at Chain Gang in Redding, California. I coveted a Mountain Goat Whiskeytown Racer but ended up getting a Stumpjumper. I rode a bit through High School and did some racing when the now defunct Vulcan Tour came to town. I met Alexi Grewal in the pits when my friend and found him at the downtown crit. He was pretty intimidating but it inspired us.

When I went away to school I was going to be fighter pilot, having seen Top Gun. That didn't happen but I kept riding. I ended up getting a job as a cop with the SDPD and rode regularly with friends. I began to ride with people who worked in shops and had these amazing workshops in their garages. I had always worked on my own bikes so when I needed help I asked them to show me how to do what I needed done. We did some 24 hour racing and spent a lot of time getting bikes in race shape at all hours of the night. I attended Interbike 5 or 6 times with friends as an honorary "employee" of their shops. That was pretty fun, though Interbike has changed a lot since then.

I left the SDPD after 13 years and had to figure out what to do. I had been working with the Southern California High School Cycling League for a few years so I had more time to focus on that. A friend had been running a pop up bike shops at San Diego farmers markets and was ready to go a brick and mortar. I had some money left in my 401k from the SDPD so it seemed like a good idea to open a shop. I attended UBI in Portland for the Pro 2 week course to sharpen my skills and get something on paper, as I hadn't worked in the industry before and figured I would need something to show customers. We have been open 4 years now and I still work as a staff member for the SoCal League 8 years later.

Some people told me I was "buying a job" when we opened. That may be true but we opened with not much cash and a lot of sweat equity. Providing solid honest service has paid off and we are still up and running as a well-respected shop in a fairly large town.

PBMA: What advice would you give to someone considering a major career change into the cycling industry?

SA: I think I likely have a very nontraditional entry into the industry in that I opened a shop at 41 years old, after only having worked in one when I was 15. Having a love of the sport definitely helped and getting some training and certification boosted my confidence. Work on anything you can and pay attention. If you need help, ask. Never be afraid to ask for help. Any mechanic who ridicules you for asking for help isn't your friend!

PBMA: What is your favorite tool?

SA: My favorite tool is actually two tools. The EVT mulfinger combined with a nipple shaker box. I have one I got from Wheel Fanatyk and one made locally by woman named Anna who has a business called Broken Compass. It's got the shop logo on it. Just cleaning up that part wheel building took a lot of time out of the process, and time is money.

That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll be back next week with a new feature. In the meantime, click here to learn more about our 2018 Mechanic Monday series, and here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic!

#mechanicmonday honors Bre Rue

Bre Rue of Portland, Oregon.

​It’s Mechanic Monday again, and this week’s featured mechanic is Bre Rue of Portland, Oregon!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with PBMA’s Mechanic Monday series, this is where we feature one mechanic each week who is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations that we receive. Mechanic Monday is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and we are proud to partner with Abbey Bike Tools, Cycling Industry News, and People for Bikes to share these great features with you.

Bre Rue is a pillar of her community and a longtime mechanic in our industry. She started working as a bicycle mechanic in 1988 and has held a variety of jobs in the industry since then, learning from each one as she perfects her craft. Bre’s current “steady, day-in-day-out” job is at West End Bikes PDX in Portland, but she is also an owner of Ride HiFi wheels. Prior to settling in the Portland area long-term, Bre owned her own shop (at just 22 years old!) in Cottage Grove, Oregon and worked as the lead mechanic for the Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

We caught up with Bre to learn more about how she got her start in the cycling industry and what advice she might have for those looking to follow in her footsteps. Here’s what she shared with us:

PBMA: How did you become involved in cycling mechanics?

BR: I got into being a full time mechanic back in the summer of 1988. I had started racing my bike after coming from a running background and started hanging out at the local bike shops so I could pick up any tips and tricks I could. Fortunately an older Italian guy named Tony got tired of me hanging around and put me to work. After the summer was over and I went back to school I was able to keep my job on the weekends. He took me under his very ornery wing and made sure that if I was going to take the time to learn how to work on bikes I was going to learn it the correct way.

I've always had a very inquisitive and mechanical predisposed mind. In my case it runs in the family as all of my brothers and sister on my dad's side are hands on kind of people. I absolutely LOVE bikes. I always have, even before I knew how to ride I was mesmerized by my older sisters bike and used to just play with it. She taught me how to ride my own bike at about four years old in the gravel driveway of our little farm on the outskirts of Corvallis, OR and I've been flying on two wheels ever since. While gender may mean something to someone else I've always had the mindset that the job at hand is what's most important and as long as it's done correctly it doesn't matter if you are a man or woman. Sure, I have had my fair share of men asking me if they could talk to the male mechanic or the attempt at explaining something I should or should not be doing, usually incorrectly. But I found out long ago that sometimes it's better to keep your ego in check and do your best to foster each and every relationship with your customers. They are the reason you have a job and you should treat them as you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes. The hard part I have found is getting the right mix of my feminine side and the stereotypical mechanic. When I'm not at work I'm pretty feminine. I like to dress up a bit, wear heels, makeup and when someone sees me not at the shop they are a bit shocked. When I'm at work though, I've found that it's hard to be taken seriously if I look too dressed up. Plus I feel that your mind shouldn't be on trying to keep your nice clothes from getting dirty. You should be able to dive in at any second, in any situation and not have your attention diverted from the task at hand.

My motivation for doing what I do day in and out are the people and a job well done. I absolutely love being the one people refer too when their mechanic can't fix something! It's a feeling like no other when you can enable someone to be able to do something that brings them absolute joy.

PBMA: What advice would you give to women who are considering a career in the cycling industry?

BR: My advice to other women is to leave your fears behind. Study hard and work extra hard on things that give you problems. Suck up all the information you can get your greedy little hands on. Completely immerse yourself in your own little bike world and don't let any of the negativity or naysayers dissuade you from doing what brings you joy. The only way to beat those kinds of people is to know your stuff. Be better, know more. Take yourself and your job seriously. Know that each and every one of you is making a difference to change the “good old boys club” that the bike industry has been.

PBMA: What is your favorite tool?

BR: Right now it has to be the EVT EZ Lift repair stand. I simply cannot imagine working on a bike without one anymore! Second to that would be my Silca Torque ratchet set. I use it 10 hours a day every day and it really brings me joy to use it.

That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll be back next week with a new feature. In the meantime, click here to learn more about our 2018 Mechanic Monday series, and here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic!

Ed Benjamin is what many would consider and eBike expert

Ed provides consulting services and technical training on eBikes. He also conducts studies and provides reports on the eBike industry. Ed says "the bike business is a good place to spend a lifetime. The money is poor, but the people (co-workers, customers) are great. And with electric bikes... we all face a bright future."

Ed got started in cycling like so many of us... "as a kid, I used a bike to go everywhere, and this continued into high school. I was the only nerd in my HS that rode a bike to school every day. My first job (1969), I was working at McDonalds, when a co-worker arrived on a very, very sweet bike (Raleigh Professional MK-1) and I learned that there was such a thing as bicycle racing."

This led to a State Champion title a little later, and a job in a bike shop for $1.00 per hour! That led to more shop jobs that supported me through college and beyond. Eventually my family and I owned and operated Benjamin Cyclery, a 4-store chain in SW Florida. We were at various times a Trek top 25, BDS top 100 and a Schwinn Presidents Club store.

You've owned a shop, you've hired mechanic. What qualities do you look for when you hired a mechanic?In the decades that I operated a store there were few "trained" mechanics (Schwinn Factory Training was about the only school) and we rarely found experienced bike mechanics to employ. So we expected to train on the job and that meant we wanted good people, not so much experience. I found that the best source of good people was to listen to my existing team for ideas and referrals. Honest, reliable, friendly and genuinely interested in doing a good job.

You've worked in the eBike part of the industry for a long time. How did that come about?I was fascinated by the idea of combining human (high torque meat machines with low endurance) with electric power (lower torque electrical machines with high endurance) on a bicycle. In 1994, this was a new idea, just gaining traction in the Japanese domestic market. Maybe only a couple of bikes offered in the USA - not very good ones.

One of my customers Dr. Frank Jamerson PhD was also interested, and kept bringing eBikes into my Naples store for assembly and repair. So when he asked me to travel to China and do some research on the eBike market for him - it was great good fortune for me. That led to me starting my consulting company in 1996.

What is LEVA and how did it get started?In 1998, most of the existing USA eBike companies formed the Electric Cycle Association. It failed to get off the ground, largely because the first (and only) treasurer "lost" most of our funds. So the idea existed, and some of us cooperated as though we were a formal association until 2008 when Sid Kuropchak and I formalized and funded the Light Electric Vehicle Association, today we have about 300 members representing 30 countries, and we are focused on the interests of the eBike industry. A major activity for LEVA has been offering technical training. This was started in 2010 by Dr. Gerhardt, the author of the book on eBike repair and most of the syllabus.

Electric bikes are seeing strong growth. Tell us some of the numbers.This year I believe that about 34-million eBikes will be sold in Asia, 2-million in Europe and about 300,000 in the USA. There are about 250-million eBikes in use worldwide with about 1-million of them being in the US market today.

If you could offer a forward thinking bicycle shop three pieces of advice, what would they be?The lesson learned in Asia and Europe is that eBikes make money for shops. The margins are greater, the tickets are larger, and they need more parts and maintenance. Consumers need help selecting and keeping them running.

Consumers like them. A lot! Consumers do not share the "bike snob's" point of view on whether eBikes are "cheating" or otherwise "wrong".

Become the champion and source of eBikes in your community. This is going to the best future niche and in most cities today, it's up for grabs.

You've worked as a mechanic. Did you have any training?I was instructed by Larry Black at Thornbury's Toys (at the time the largest Schwinn dealer in the USA). By John Battle at Spoke and Sprocket, Gil Morris at Highland Cycle and Bob Peters at Clarksville Schwinn. These men were wonderful teachers (if anyone remembers John Battle, they are lifting an eyebrow at this) and I am grateful. Later I went to Schwinn Factory Training, to programs at the New England Cycling Academy and to a workshop run by Campagnolo on the use of their classic tool kit!

Favorite tool?Hmm... I have to say, the old bent metal tire irons given to me by Gil Morris. They had been used for a very long time when I got them, and while nothing special they were polished from long use. The bend was (is) perfect for removing clinchers. Gil started in a shop in the 30's (I think), these levers might have nearly a century of use.

#mechanicmonday honors Harris Bucklin

Happy New Year, and welcome to our first installment of the 2018 Mechanic Monday series!

After the overwhelming success of our 2017 Mechanic of the Week series, we decided to kick it up a notch for 2018. Starting today, we will feature one mechanic every Monday for the full calendar year (52 weeks); each featured mechanic will receive a framed certificate and limited edition “PBMA x Abbey Bike Tools” prize, and the mechanic who receives the most votes at the end of the year will win a free trip to the 2019 North American Handmade Bicycle Show as a VIP guest of the PBMA and Abbey Bike Tools. (Click here to learn more about our 2018 contest rules.)

Mechanic Monday originated with the idea of mechanics supporting fellow mechanics. At its core, this is the mission of the PBMA, and we are proud to share it with all of you. Each of our featured mechanics is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations we receive. (Click here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic.) Our new series of features is presented by Abbey Bike Tools and will be published not only on the PBMA website, but also by Cycling Industry News and People for Bikes. We are excited for these partnerships, and we are thankful that the greater Industry community shares our mission of supporting our fellow mechanics.

Without further ado, our first featured mechanic of 2018 is Harris Bucklin of Durango, Colorado!

Harris is a mechanic at 2nd Avenue Sports, a full-service bicycle shop in Durango. He was previously a mechanic at the Old Spokes Home in Burlington, Vermont and the Old Spokes Community Workshop (formerly Bike Recycle Vermont). Harris credits the owners of the Old Spokes Home with giving him his start in cycling mechanics and instilling in him a strong sense of values. We connected with Harris recently to learn more about his story and his mission to give back to the sport as much as it’s given him. Here’s some of what he had to say:

​PBMA: How did you first get involved in cycling?

HB: I remember falling in love with cycling in high school. The joy and freedom a bicycle provides is unmatched and so I was drawn to working with bikes and helping others experience the same freedom and joy I had found.

PBMA: What is your favorite moment or story from your time in the cycling industry?

HB: I think here I have to give a shout out to the Old Spokes Home in Burlington, VT. I was lucky enough to be hired by Glenn Eames, a living, breathing Encyclopedia of Bicycle History. When I started there, it was with a crazy talented crew of creative mechanics and it was an incredible group to learn from. Some of my favorite moments from those days were when we would have an 1800's era high wheel in the stand next to a custom touring bike build, next to a three-speed townie, next to a full-suspension mountain bike, all getting the same level of attention. That was a really inspiring environment. That shop is now an unbelievably cool community asset that is owned by a non-profit.

PBMA: What is your favorite tool?

HB: Gotta say my JA Stein Fixed Cup Wrench Clamp. Using it less and less these days but when I need it, it never lets me down.

That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll have a new feature and interview each Monday for the rest of the year, so don’t forget to nominate your favorite mechanic today!